MANILA, Philippines – As gracious host and for more chances of winning medals, the Philippines is set to deploy the biggest number of delegations in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games the Philippine Sports Commission said.

Start of the Games is set Saturday, November 30 through December 11, 2019 in different venues in Luzon.

The Philippines will field 1,115 athletes and 753 coaches and officials, making it the biggest delegation since the country last hosted the biennial regional meet back in 2005.

Indonesia has the second-highest delegation with 1,702 inclusive of a large number of self-funded athletes and officials.

Meantime, Singapore comes in third at 1,591 followed by Thailand with 1,473, Malaysia 1,076, and followed by Myanmar having 952.

This year’s regional meet will offer 530 gold medals at stake from 56 sports, making it the biggest number in SEA Games history.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez, believes that the Philippines will perform well in the 30th biennial games.

The host country is aiming to land in the top three among the 11 participating members of the SEA Games. (Lloyd Tagbago/IAMIGO/CNS)